Postcards From the EDGE

August 24, 2003

There was a lot of carnage at last week's PGA, but David Duval was the sorriest sight. After opening with an 80, Duval was six over on his first four holes on Friday before withdrawing after a painful tee shot on the 5th hole, citing a bad back. This was just the latest setback in Duval's spiraling slump. Here's how his struggles compare with the slumps that derailed the careers of other elite players.

DUVAL

CAREER HIGH No. 1 in the World Ranking for 14 weeks in 1999; won the 2001 British Open.

ROOTS OF SLUMP Injuries led to compensating moves in swing; personal problems; even a bout of veritigo.

Rutgers is the biggest school in New Jersey, a state swarming with good young players. Yet over the last decade the Scarlet Knights are 32-83-1. The coach says things are turning around. Many others on campus say it's time for the school to get out of the big-time football business.

FIRST SIGN OF TROUBLE Over the first 15 events of '02 he finished better than 12th only once, missing six cuts (age 30).

NADIR Shot first-round 83s in back-to-back starts last month.

KEY STATS This year Duval is 195th in driving accuracy, 117th in distance (in 2000 he was 39th in accuracy and 18th in distance); has missed 11 cuts and withdrawn twice in his last 15 starts.

HOW THE STORY ENDS Stay tuned.

IAN BAKER-FINCH

CAREER HIGH Shot a front-nine 29 on Saturday to set up his win at the 1991 British Open.

ROOTS OF SLUMP Swing changes in a quest for more distance.

FIRST SIGN OF TROUBLE After winning in Australia in 1992--his first victory since the Open--he felt "relief, not joy" (age 31).

NADIR At the 1995 British Open at St. Andrews, playing with Arnold Palmer, he snap-hooked his tee shot O.B. on the 1st hole, across one of the widest fairways in the world; at the '97 British, shot an opening 92.

KEY STATS His streak of 34 consecutive missed cuts is a Tour record.

HOW THE STORY ENDS He quit competitive golf in '98 and is now an ABC announcer.

SEVE BALLESTEROS

CAREER HIGH Between 1979 and '88 he won three British Opens and two Masters; six European money titles, the last in 1991. (He finished third in '94.)

ROOTS OF SLUMP Preeminent feel player began taking advice from scores of instructors in an ill-fated effort to find the form of his youth.

FIRST SIGN OF TROUBLE From 1994 to '95, his stroke average on the Euro tour jumped nearly 2 1/2 shots (age 38).

NADIR At the '95 Ryder Cup he drove so wildly, some players averted their gazes.

KEY STATS Since his last top 10, in 1998, he has made the cut in only 26 of 94 starts.

HOW THE STORY ENDS Ballesteros doggedly plays on, trying to restart his career.

RALPH GULDAHL

CAREER HIGH Won back-to-back U.S. Opens in 1937 and '38, as well as the '39 Masters.

ROOTS OF SLUMP Folklore has it that after seeing footage of his Masters win at a movie theater, he tried to refine his violent lunge at the ball.

FIRST SIGN OF TROUBLE He quit the game in 1935 to work as a car salesman (age 23).

NADIR In the semis of the '40 PGA, he was all square with Byron Nelson but collapsed on the 36th hole to blow the match.

KEY STATS: After his final victory in 1940, he was winless in more than 60 tournaments before quitting in '42.

HOW THE STORY END: He retired to a teaching position at Braemar Country Club in Tarzana, Calif. Guldahl died in 1987.